Tropical Island Adventure
by Rebecca Cage
Summary: When Spritle is set to go on a class trip, Speed and the gang are invited along as chaperones. Will they be able to fully enjoy this paradise or will a secret roadblock get in the way of their relaxation?
1. The Day Before

Tropical Island Adventure  
  
Disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever owned Speed Racer or related  
characters. I also do not own Disney World or related companies and  
paraphernalia. The only thing that I have claim to are the ideas and settings, which came out of my own head. So therefore, coming after me for  
this fic would be as successful as trying to defeat Speed in a race.  
  
A/N: This is my very first Speed Racer fan fiction. I normally do Pokemon  
fan fiction but when I bought a Speed Racer DVD I got interested in dabbling in a new genre. Since this is my first fic in a new genre, please be kind in your reviews and don't flame me. Please review because that is  
how I get better  
  
Chapter 1: The Day Before  
  
It was a beautiful May afternoon with the sun shining high and bright in the sky. As soon as school got out, 12-year-old Spritle Racer stood waiting for the school bus that would take him home for the day. He couldn't manage to contain his excitement as he thought about what the next day would hold. He was in the eighth grade and at the end of the school year the entire eighth grade always took a trip to Walt Disney World and took a cruise to a tropical destination. This year's destination was going to be the Bahamas.  
As soon as the school bus pulled up in front of the Racer house, Spritle got off and was immediately greeted by Chim Chim, who ran up to him chattering excitedly. Chim Chim was going to be accompanying Spritle on his little vacation.  
"Hi, Chim Chim. Let's go inside and get our things together so we can be ready for tomorrow." Spritle said as he turned and walked into the house.  
As soon as Spritle walked in the house he saw his parents sitting at the kitchen table. Upon hearing the two enter, Pops Racer looked up from the newspaper article he was reading and smiled at his youngest son.  
"Did you have a good day at school today, Spritle?"  
"I sure did, Pops! We talked about the trip in all of my classes today. Everyone is really excited about it. Chim Chim and I were just going to go upstairs and get everything together so we can be ready in the morning. I just can't wait to get going. I wish it was tomorrow already." Spritle said excitedly.  
"Well, that sounds like a good idea but why don't you and Chim Chim have a little snack before you start packing?" Mom Racer suggested as she set a plate of cookies and two glasses of lemonade on the table.  
"That is a good idea." Spritle shoved two cookies in his mouth at once as he spoke.  
  
* * * * *  
  
After finishing his snack, Spritle was up in his bedroom trying to decide what he wanted to pack to take with him. His mother had already helped him get his clothes together so what was left was to decide what he wanted to take to keep himself entertained on the long bus ride. First, Spritle pulled out his cd player and gathered some discs and then he dug through his closet until he located his camera. Suddenly Chim Chim pulled on his shirt, holding out his portable video game.  
"Yeah! That's a good idea, Chim Chim. My video games will be a great source of amusement." Spritle grinned as he took the system and a few games and stuffed them into his bag. Then he continued to ransack his room, looking for a few other things that he wanted to pack for the bus.  
  
* * * * *  
  
While Spritle and Chim Chim were upstairs tearing the bedroom apart, Mom and Pops Racer were still sitting at the kitchen table talking. Suddenly Mom Racer got an idea and she turned to her husband with a smile.  
"I have a wonderful idea of something that we can do tonight. Why don't we call Speed and Trixie and see if they would like to come and we can all go out to dinner tonight. Since Spritle doesn't have to go to school in the morning because of his trip we can have a nice evening."  
"That is a good idea. We haven't all gone out and done something together in months. Do you want me to call Speed and ask them if they want to do that?" Pops offered.  
"Yes. That's good, dear. I'll go let Spritle know what we're doing." Mom said as she turned and headed up the stairs toward the banging and clunking that she heard going on in the bedroom.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, in a small house across town, Speed Racer was helping his fiancé Trixie get things together for the next day. Speed and Trixie, along with their best friend Sparky and his girlfriend Lindsey, were going to be chaperones for the eighth grade trip. They were finishing some last minute details while they were waiting for Sparky and Lindsey to arrive because the two were staying the night with Speed and Trixie so that they wouldn't have as far to travel the next day.  
"So do you think we have everything together and ready to go, Trixie?" Speed asked, smiling at her.  
"Yeah, I think so. We've got our clothes all together and I've got the walkmans and things and some books to read. I also brought a couple of the pillows that I made and one of my blankets." Trixie announced.  
"That's just great. Since we're going to be spending the night on a bus on the way to Florida the blanket and pillows were a really great idea. Now I know one of the reasons I love you so much. You're always thinking on your toes." Speed smiled and kissed Trixie just as someone rang the doorbell.  
"That'll be Sparky and Lindsey."  
"Great timing as usual Sparky." Speed groaned as he went to the door and Trixie giggled as she followed.  
Speed and Trixie opened the front door to see Sparky and Lindsey standing there smiling at them. They were all looking forward to this little vacation because none of them had had much of a chance to relax lately.  
"Hiya, Sparky. How's it going?"  
"Hi, Speed. Hey, Trixie. Everything's great. This is going to be so much fun." Sparky smiled as Speed and Trixie moved away from the door to allow the two to enter.  
"So, Lindsey, what did you think when Sparky asked you to come along with us?" Trixie asked.  
"Actually, I was a little bit surprised but it was a good kind of surprised. This is something that I have been imagining for some time." Lindsey giggled, blushing, as Sparky wrapped an arm around her.  
Just then the phone started ringing in the kitchen and Speed went to answer it, leaving Trixie to get their friends settled in.  
"Hello." Speed said happily.  
"Hey, Speed. How is everything going, son? How's Trixie?" Pops asked.  
"Oh, hi Pops. Things are going fantastic here. Trixie's doing great too. She's in the living room getting Sparky and Lindsey settled in. They just got here and they're staying with us tonight so they wouldn't have so far to drive tomorrow evening."  
"Glad to hear it. The reason I called is that your mother had a nice idea since you guys are going to chaperone Spritle's trip tomorrow and we haven't done something together in a while. We were wondering if you guys wanted to meet us at Los Amigos tonight for dinner. It would be a nice way to spend the evening and since Spritle doesn't have to go to class in the morning, we won't have to worry about time. So what do you think? Would you guys like to do that?"  
"Yeah. That sounds like a nice idea, Pops. What time do you want us to meet you?" Speed asked.  
"We were thinking that we could meet there about 7:30 since it's 6:00 now. This is wonderful. We'll see you guys there."  
"Bye, Pops." Speed smiled as he hung up the phone and went back into the living room to join the others.  
"Who was that on the phone, Speed?" Trixie asked as soon as Speed reappeared.  
"That was Pops. He and Mom want us to meet them at Los Amigos at 7:30 so we can have dinner with them and Spritle before we all leave tomorrow evening. I told them that we would do that. That's okay with you guys, right?"  
"Yeah. That sounds like a great idea." Trixie said.  
"It's fine with me. I've been meaning to get in touch with Pops to discuss something with him anyway." Sparky smiled.  
"Sure. I haven't had Mexican food in a long time." Lindsey agreed.  
"Great. Let's get ready and head out. We don't want to keep them waiting."  
  
* * * * *  
  
At 7:30, the group met at Los Amigos and were soon seated around a large table and were waiting to get their dinner. There was a buzz of dinner conversation, most of which was about the upcoming trip, except for Pops and Sparky who were engrossed in conversation about car engines.  
"I'm glad that I talked you guys into coming as chaperones, Speed. It's going to be a lot of fun. The reason I asked you was because I knew that you could all use a break." Spritle said.  
"I know it's going to be fun. I'm really glad that you asked us to come along. I also appreciate that you were so concerned about everyone, Spritle." Speed smiled as he put an arm around his brother's shoulders.  
"What do you think about having to spend the night on a bus?"  
"Well, it's going to be different. That much I can say for sure. But well worth it for the fun we're going to get to have."  
"Speed's right. So what are you looking forward to most, Spritle?" Trixie asked.  
"I can't really decide. Both things are new for me because they are things that I have never done before. I've heard that Disney World is really awesome and I have a friend that has been on a cruise and he said that is really cool too. Plus it's going to be my first time going on vacation without Mom and Pops." Spritle said, causing Speed and Trixie to smile.  
"Just make sure that you behave yourself and don't go getting into any trouble, son." Pops warned as he and Sparky took note of the conversation.  
"Of course I will, Pops. Don't I always?" When Spritle said this everyone at the table began laughing.  
Once their food had come and everyone sat talking over the hum of lively dinner conversation, he realized that they didn't even know everything that they needed to about this trip yet because Speed hadn't seen Spritle to ask him about it.  
"Hey, Spritle. Do you know what time we're supposed to be at your school tomorrow evening? I really need to know that because it wouldn't look good for us to be late." Speed asked.  
"Yeah, I do. Actually we got our trip itinerary today and I brought it with me to show to you. Here you go, Speed."  
"This looks great. If they follow this itinerary here then things should run smoothly the whole time." Speed handed the paper to Sparky so that he and Lindsey could take a look at it.  
"Wow. Everything is planned down to the last minor detail. I wish we got to do things like this back when we were in school." Sparky remarked.  
"Yeah, I know. It would have been totally awesome to get to get away from the books for a whole week and just go and goof off. School kids are really lucky these days." Speed said as he sipped his margarita.  
When Speed said this, Trixie began thinking of what something like that would have been like and sat staring off into space. She was imagining what it would have been to get to travel around with Speed back then because before she and Speed had started dating, they had been classmates and Trixie had had a major crush on him. Just then, she was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of Speed speaking to her.  
"Trixie? Earth to Trixie. Are you all right?" Speed asked as he waved his hand up and down in front of her face.  
"Huh? Oh, sorry Speed. I was just thinking about what Sparky just said and I was imagining what it would have been like to do something like this when we were in school together." Trixie admitted, blushing slightly as Speed laughed and put his arm around her.  
After dinner, the group sat around talking for another hour and then at 10:00 Speed and Trixie decided it was time for them and their party to take their leave.  
"Hey, it's getting late and we all need to get to bed so we can be rested tomorrow. Thanks for inviting us to dinner Mom and Pops. We had fun." Speed smiled as Trixie nodded her agreement from beside him.  
"That's right. Tomorrow is a very big day and Spritle needs to get some rest too." Sparky agreed as he and Lindsey got up as well.  
"Well, we'll see you guys tomorrow afternoon. Spritle, we'll come and pick you up at 5:00 so make sure that you and Chim Chim are ready." Trixie smiled.  
"We actually need to be leaving too. It's getting late." Pops agreed.  
"We'll be ready and waiting for you tomorrow, Speed." Spritle grinned as he gave his brother a hug before leaving with his parents. Then the other four got into their cars and headed back to Speed and Trixie's house.  
  
* * * * *  
  
On the way back in the Mach 5, Speed and Trixie were talking over some things. They were really looking forward to getting a chance to relax and forget about all of the stresses in their everyday lives. Just then something occurred to Trixie and she leaned her head on Speed's shoulder.  
"I just thought of something, Speed."  
"What's that?" Speed asked as he smiled lovingly at her.  
"I was thinking that maybe getting away from it all for a week might be just what you need to cure this bout of insomnia you've been having lately. You might be able to rest easier without all the stress on you." Trixie said honestly as she put her hand on Speed's arm.  
"I sure hope you're right about that, Trixie. It's been over a week since I've gotten a decent night's sleep and it's beginning to make me feel a bit run down. Hopefully you are right and getting free of all the pressures of my daily life will help me get a good sleep. We'll just have to wait and see though." Speed shook his head as he and Trixie cruised toward their home in the Mach 5.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, in Sparky's car, Lindsey was staring blankly out the window at the sky, obviously lost in thought about something. It was clear to Sparky that his beloved girlfriend had something on her mind, it seemed she often did on these pretty, clear nights, so he decided that he might try again to draw her out and get her to open up about what was bothering her.  
"Hey, are you okay? You seem a thousand miles away right now?" Sparky asked softly.  
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a few things on my mind. It's nothing really major. Just a few things that I have to work out for myself. These clear nights just get me a little down, I guess." Lindsey answered.  
"I just don't like seeing someone I care about so upset. I'd like to help you through whatever burden you seem to be bearing. I wish that you would talk to me and let me go through this with you."  
"Maybe I will someday. I just need time to sort it out on my own and make sense out of it before I get anyone else involved. I really hope you understand."  
"Of course I do. I understand that you need time and I promise I won't pressure you. Just know that whenever you want to talk about it, I'll be here to listen." Sparky whispered as he took Lindsey's hand.  
"Thank you for being so understanding. That's why I love you so much." Lindsey smiled as Sparky pulled the car into Speed and Trixie's driveway.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Once they were all settled in back at the house, the two couples sat in the living room talking for a little while. Sparky was hoping that some positive conversation would be a distraction for Lindsey.  
"So, I think this is going to be great. I know that all four of us have been stressed and under a tremendous amount of pressure lately and having this chance to get away from it all for a whole week so we can goof off and just have fun is exactly what we need." Speed said.  
"I know it'll be great for me. It seems like I've been moving at triple time for the last several weeks and I haven't had a lot of time to myself to relax." Sparky agreed.  
"Well, think about it from the point of view of the women who love you so much. When you guys are under so much pressure and get stressed out then it makes us get stressed." Lindsey pointed out.  
"I agree. But right now I think we all need to try and get some sleep so we will actually be some help tomorrow." Trixie agreed. Then she and Speed showed Sparky and Lindsey to the guest room before going to bed themselves.  
  
* * * * *  
  
In the guest room, Sparky and Lindsey were getting ready to go to bed. As he sat on the end of the bed watching his girlfriend look through her bag for her pajamas, Sparky wished that there were something that he could do to take some of the burden off of her. It killed him that he had to stand by and watch her rage an emotional war and not be able to do a thing to help.  
"It's hard to stand by and watch her suffer, but you need to remember that you promised that you wouldn't pressure her." Sparky told himself as he stared at the floor. Just then he felt Lindsey sit on the bed beside him and put her arms around him.  
"Now who's the one deep in thought? What are you thinking about?" Lindsey whispered.  
"Nothing really. I was just letting my mind wander. I have a tendency to do that sometimes. No need to worry your pretty little head about it." Sparky smiled as he lay down on the bed and Lindsey came and rested in his arms.  
"Well, I think for tonight we should both stop worrying and get a good night's sleep so we'll be ready to go tomorrow. Goodnight. I love you, Sparky."  
"I love you too." Sparky whispered as Lindsey fell asleep in his arms. "I love you so much." Then he settled in and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him away.  
  
* * * * *  
  
In their bedroom, Speed and Trixie were just lying in bed, relaxing and talking. Speed had his arm around Trixie and she lay beside him with her head on his chest. It was in moments like these that Speed was reminded just how much he truly loved Trixie.  
"So, have you ever been on a cruise before, Trix?"  
"Nope. I've heard about it though. I heard that it's very romantic. I'm looking forward to getting to enjoy it with you." Trixie smiled.  
"Mmm hmm. I think this is going to be a first for every one of us. It'll probably feel weird at first to not have anything to take care of and to just get to relax. I'm looking forward to that."  
"Yeah, I know. Well, let's try to get some sleep. We need to get up early in the morning to make sure that we have everything together that we intend to take. Goodnight, Speed. I love you." Trixie yawned as she snuggled closer to Speed and closed her eyes and fell asleep.  
"I love you, Trixie." Speed whispered. Then he turned on the television at a low volume and prepared to wait out another sleepless night. 


	2. Sleepless Night

Chapter 2: Sleepless Night  
  
At about 2:00 in the morning, Speed decided to give up once again on being able to get to sleep. He had been surfing through infomercials for three hours hoping that it may bore him to sleep but even that had no luck. Speed hoped that Trixie was right in her guess that going on this little vacation and escaping the stress and pressures of his everyday life would help him finally get a good night's sleep because he wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Then he looked down at Trixie sleeping next to him and smiled.  
"I wish that I could sleep like that. This not being able to sleep is really taking its toll. I can't take much more of this. I hope that getting away from everything will help me get some rest." Speed said quietly to himself.  
Then Speed tried to think of something to occupy his time. He was tired of watching television and he wanted to do something but he had to be quiet because everyone else was sleeping so that didn't leave him with many options. Finally he decided to go out to the garage and tinker with the Mach 5, hoping that may help him to at least relax a little.  
As Speed opened the side door to the garage, he reached around the corner for the light switch and turned on the light. He smiled as light filled the room and illuminated the Mach 5 in a soft glow. Then Speed raised the hood of the Mach 5 and started to check some of the components and seemed to forget about the world as he lost himself in his work.  
  
* * * * *  
  
After tossing and turning for over three hours, at 2:30 Sparky opened his eyes and sat up. He was so concerned about Lindsey and how worried and upset she seemed lately that he couldn't get to sleep. No matter how hard he tried, whenever he closed his eyes he saw the pain in Lindsey's eyes that she had tried to hide from him as she was staring out the window. So after sitting in the dark for a moment, Sparky got out of bed and went downstairs. He was going to go and sit outside for a while but as he slipped out the back door he noticed the light on in the garage so he decided to go investigate. He quietly opened the door and saw Speed under the hood of the Mach 5, tinkering with some things and making adjustments.  
"Hey, Speed." Sparky said quietly, causing Speed to look up from what he was doing.  
"Hi. What are you doing out here in the middle of the night, Sparky?" Speed asked.  
"Well, I think I could ask you the same thing."  
"I couldn't sleep again. I've been having problems sleeping for the past week. How about you? What are you doing up?"  
"I couldn't get to sleep either. I have things on my mind. I'm a little worried about Lindsey."  
"Why are you worried about her? What's going on? Talk to me, Spark." Speed asked, becoming a little concerned.  
"Well, Lindsey's had a lot on her mind lately. Whenever it comes back to her I can see the pain in her eyes even though she tries to hide it. It seems worse on clear nights like tonight. She had another episode on the way back from the restaurant. But when I ask her about it, I don't know, it just seems like she puts up a brick wall and she won't let me in."  
"What is it exactly that's coming back to her?"  
"That's the thing. I don't know exactly. I'm pretty sure that it's something from her past but that's all I know. Like I said, whenever I try to get her to talk to me about it, she just shuts down. I don't have any idea what to do to help her. It's just so frustrating, Speed." Sparky said, his voice sounding stressed.  
"Ugh. That's a really tough situation, Spark. Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we take a drive in the Mach 5 and we can talk more about it." Speed suggested.  
"Yeah. That's a good idea. That way we'll be free to talk without worrying about the girls coming out and hearing what we're talking about." Sparky smiled as they got into the Mach 5 and drove into town.  
As they were cruising through town in the middle of the night, Speed and Sparky were taking advantage of the opportunity to talk in complete privacy. It was obvious that Sparky was in serious need of some advice and Speed really hoped that he would be able to help.  
"So what do you think I should do about this, Speed? How can I try to help Lindsey through whatever she's facing when she won't tell me what it is. I just love her so much and it frustrates me to have to stand by and watch her suffer and not know what I can do to help her. Or is there anything that I can do?" Sparky asked quietly.  
"Well, Sparky. I haven't been in a situation like this one before so this is a little tricky for me. I guess the only advice that I can give you is to just be there for her and let her feel your love for her. The main thing, which I'm sure you already know, is to not pressure her to talk to you about her pain. If you do that then she'll just shut down even more and make that wall even higher and you'll never get through to her. I know this probably isn't what you wanted to hear, Spark, but the best thing for you to do is be patient with her right now and let her do what she needs to do to heal her pain and she'll talk to you when she feels she's ready. She knows you love her and if I know her like I seem to, she won't keep you out of the loop forever." Speed said.  
"Thanks a lot for the advice, Speed. Even though you've never been in my shoes it sure sounds like you have. To tell you the truth, I think I knew what you were going to say but I really needed to hear it. I think maybe I just overreacted to the whole situation."  
"No. You didn't overreact at all. If Trixie were in Lindsey's place, I'd probably be frustrated and going out of my mind, too." Speed reassured him.  
"Hey, even though I'm enjoying all of this male bonding time and stuff, I think we need to get back to your house before our beautiful women realize we left."  
"Yeah. That is a good idea. We don't want to worry the girls. Let's head back." Speed agreed as they headed back to the house.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Back at the house, Trixie was in the kitchen pouring herself some orange juice and wondering what in the world had become of Speed when she heard Lindsey coming into the kitchen as well. Upon hearing this, Trixie turned around and smiled.  
"Good morning, Lindsey."  
"Morning." Lindsey smiled. "Hey, Trixie. Have you seen Sparky this morning?"  
"No. I assumed that he was still sleeping." Trixie said, confused.  
"He was gone when I woke up. I wonder where he could be."  
"Hmm. That's weird. Speed was gone this morning, too. I think that Speed and Sparky are probably together wherever they are." Trixie reasoned as they heard the sound of a car engine outside. "Actually, I hear the Mach 5 now. I guess they must have driven somewhere."  
Just then Speed and Sparky walked into the kitchen and smiled at their women and kissed them. They hoped that the girls hadn't been worried about them.  
"Hiya girls. What's up?" Speed asked cheerfully.  
"Hey. Where were you guys? It was strange when we got up this morning and you were both gone." Trixie said.  
"Well, I couldn't sleep again so I went out to the garage and started tinkering with the Mach 5. A few minutes later, Sparky showed up out there and said he couldn't sleep either so we just got in the Mach 5 and drove around talking for a while. Sorry if we worried you." Speed explained.  
"What's the matter, Sparky? You've never had trouble sleeping before." Lindsey whispered.  
"I just had a whole lot on my mind last night. I tried to get to sleep for the longest time but I just ended up tossing and turning so I finally gave up. Talking to Speed really helped with what was troubling me."  
"I'm glad."  
"I have an idea. Why don't we have some breakfast and then we can get ready for this afternoon. I need to go in to the store and pick up a few last minute things after breakfast. Would you like to come with me, Lindsey?" Trixie said.  
"Sure thing. I think that would be fun. There are a couple of things that I might like to try and pick up as well."  
Then the four sat around the kitchen table and had a nice breakfast together. As soon as they had finished cleaning up in the kitchen, Trixie and Lindsey left for the store leaving Speed and Sparky to look for a way to amuse themselves. They sat down on the couch and turned on the television.  
"Hey, Speed. I just wanted to tell you again that I really appreciate you listening to me earlier and for the good advice. It really helped. Now I know just how to handle the situation. I think I can deal with this thing now that I have a different perspective on it."  
"Well, I'm just glad that I was able to give you some advice that actually helped with what was bothering you. I know it's hard to stand by and watch someone you love suffering but sometimes there really isn't that much you can do."  
"So what do you think the girls are after at the store? I thought we had everything we needed." Sparky asked.  
"I really have no idea. Knowing Trixie she thought of something that she just wanted to take with her. I guess we'll find out when they get back. This is going to be great. I'm really looking forward to getting away from absolutely everything and not having to worry about anything except relaxing and having a good time." Speed said.  
"Yeah, I know. It will be pretty nice to just get to relax. I can't remember the last time I just got to take it easy and do absolutely nothing. The way I see it, Spritle was looking out for all of us by inviting us to chaperone this trip."  
"I'll agree with that. My little brother may be a handful but I can say one thing for him. He really has a big heart. He is a very loving person and he would do anything for just about anybody."  
Then Speed and Sparky found a baseball game on television and watched and used that as a way to keep themselves amused while they waited for the girls to return.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, Trixie and Lindsey had arrived at the store and were doing a little bit of last minute shopping before they left. Trixie picked up some candy and chips and some sodas and she also picked up some aspirin to take with her in case they needed it. Lindsey also picked up a few snacks and a book to read.  
"Well, do you think we got everything that we need for this afternoon? It seems like we have a whole lot of stuff." Lindsey asked as she looked at the full shopping basket that Trixie was pushing.  
"I hope so. If we've forgotten anything we won't get a chance to come back. We leave at 6:00 and it's already 2:30 now and we have lots of other things that we need to see to before we leave. We're going to have to leave the house at about 5:00 so we'll have time to pick up Spritle and Chim Chim and get to the school in time." Trixie reasoned as they checked out at the register and headed to the car.  
  
* * * * *  
  
About thirty minutes later, Speed and Sparky looked up from the game they were watching when they heard the car pull up outside in the driveway. A few minutes later, Trixie and Lindsey walked in carrying several grocery bags.  
"Hey. What did you girls do? Buy out the whole store." Speed joked as he and Sparky got up and crossed the room to help the girls.  
"No. We just bought a few things that we might want to have for this evening like snacks and sodas since we aren't going to be stopping off to eat supper tonight. I got some candy and chips and things of that sort that we don't normally eat that much of. We're going on a mini vacation so we can indulge ourselves a little bit." Trixie said.  
"Yeah. I got some things for us too. I got different things than Trixie did so we can all share our food. That way we won't be starving by about 9:00 tonight."  
"I think that's a pretty good idea." Speed said.  
"Yeah. Keeping a bus full of 50 school kids in line isn't going to be an easy job so we'll need to keep our strength up." Sparky laughed as the others began laughing with him.  
  
* * * * *  
Two hours later, they had the cars packed up and were ready to head over to Speed's parents' house to pick up Spritle. As they pulled into the driveway, they found Spritle and Chim Chim standing out in the front yard waiting for them.  
"Hey, Spritle. You guys ready to go?" Speed called.  
"Yeah. Ready and eager, Speedy." Spritle grinned as he and Chim Chim headed to the car and helped Speed place the bags into the trunk. Then they climbed into the back seat and the whole group headed over to the middle school where they would be leaving for the big trip very shortly. 


	3. The Adventure Begins

Chapter 3: The Adventure Begins  
  
Once they all got to the middle school, Spritle took Chim Chim and went to find some of his friends and wait to load the buses while Speed, Trixie, Sparky and Lindsey went into the cafeteria where the school principal was going to be having a short meeting with the chaperones before everything got started.  
When they got into the cafeteria, they found the school principal, Dr. Steve Jackson, waiting to start the chaperone meeting. He was going to make sure that all of the chaperones were aware of all of the rules for the trip as well as going over a few other minor details and divide the chaperones up and place four chaperones on each of the three buses that they were taking.  
"Okay, I know the kids are anxious to get going as I'm sure we all are so I'm going to go ahead and get this meeting started. Now I don't have that many rules for the kids as far as riding on the buses but I do have one main rule that I insist is followed. That rule is that no boys and girls can be sitting together between midnight and 6 a.m. What I'm going to need my chaperones to do is to police your buses at the midnight hour and separate any couples and move them to different seats. When we get to the hotel tomorrow night all of you will be assigned two rooms that you will be responsible for. Make sure that the kids are in their rooms by curfew every night. That will be the same for the cabins once we're on board ship. Other than that the other main thing is that we have fun just like the kids. Now I'm going to tell you who's going to be in charge of each bus and then we'll get on the road." Dr. Jackson said.  
Then the chaperones were given their bus assignments. Speed, Trixie, Sparky and Lindsey were all going to be in charge of the same bus. This was the same bus that Spritle and his friends were riding on, which was good for Speed who had promised Pops that he would try to keep an eye on Spritle. After everything was squared away, they all went out to the buses and got ready to get everyone loaded.  
"Okay. Now that we have everyone's luggage loaded let's get all of you guys loaded onto the buses so we can get going. Everyone knows which bus they're supposed to be on so hurry up and get on and we'll go." Dr. Jackson announced as the students all climbed on the buses and got settled.  
"Wow! This is a groovy bus. It has everything on it that someone would need. It even has a bathroom on here and televisions. Amazing." Spritle said to Chim Chim as he found a seat and sat down.  
In the meantime, Speed and Trixie had found seats right across the aisle from Sparky and Lindsey and sat down as well. They all four looked around and were amused as they noticed the awestruck looks on the kids' faces.  
"I guess the kids are all pretty amazed by this whole thing. Not that I blame them. This does look like a pretty comfortable way to travel." Speed smiled.  
"Yeah. It does seem comfortable at that. I can get used to this." Trixie agreed.  
"Comfort is an asset really seeing that this is where we're going to be sleeping tonight." Sparky pointed out.  
"Good point." Lindsey agreed.  
"Okay. Now that everyone is settled in, why don't we make ourselves comfortable and settle in for the ride. It's going to be a couple of hours before we make our first stop." Speed said.  
After checking again to make sure all of the kids were settled, Speed, Trixie, Sparky and Lindsey settled in themselves. They hadn't been on the road very long when the bus they were riding on ran into a minor disaster. A semi trailer that was driving right next to them came a little too close and sideswiped the bus. Once the driver had gotten radio contact with the other three buses the whole convoy pulled to the side of the road so the damage could be checked.  
"Is everyone all right here?" The bus driver asked.  
"Yeah, everyone's fine." Trixie confirmed. "What happened?"  
"A semi trailer sideswiped us. We've pulled over so we can check the damage and make sure everything is okay with the bus. We should be back underway soon."  
"Well, I'm a trained mechanic so maybe I can help out." Sparky volunteered.  
"Great. Thanks. Let's get started." The bus driver nodded with appreciation as Sparky got up and followed him off of the bus.  
A few minutes later, Sparky came back and sat down as the bus driver started the bus back up and they were back on their way. Fortunately the truck hadn't done much damage.  
"So what was the problem, Sparky? Is everything okay?" Lindsey asked.  
"Everything's fine. The only real damage that was done was that the side mirror was just jarred loose. All I had to do was pop that back in and we were good to go again." Sparky said.  
Then the four settled in again and talked and enjoyed the ride for the next hour and a half until it was time for the buses to pull off for a rest stop so that everyone could stretch their legs.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At the rest stop, everyone got off of all the buses and walked around. Several of the kids went to the bathroom and headed for the snack machines. They had fifteen minutes to kill so Speed, Trixie, Sparky and Lindsey sat down at one of the picnic tables and enjoyed the warm evening. Suddenly Spritle came running up to them.  
"What's the matter, Spritle?" Speed asked.  
"Some of us guys are going to play football and my team needs a couple of more people so we were wondering if you and Sparky would play with us."  
"What do you think, Speed? Wanna show them how to play?" Sparky asked.  
"It's fine with me. Okay, let's go. Lead the way, Spritle." Speed grinned as he and Sparky followed Spritle to where the football game was going on.  
"It looks like they're having as much fun as the kids are. Maybe more." Trixie smiled as she and Lindsey sat at the picnic table and watched the game.  
"Yeah. Sparky and Speed are both just kids at heart." Lindsey agreed.  
Ten minutes later it was time for everyone to load onto the buses again and once the chaperones had checked to make sure that everyone was on the right bus, the convoy of buses took off again for the long night of travel that was still ahead of them.  
  
* * * * *  
  
When they had been back on the road for about thirty minutes, Speed stood up and put a movie into the VCR for the kids to watch. When he did this, he attracted Trixie's attention.  
"What are you doing, Speed?" Trixie asked quietly.  
"I'm going to put in one of these movies so the kids can watch it. That way we can kinda keep the noise level down a little bit too."  
"That's a good idea. By the way, what time is it, Speed?"  
"It's about 9:45. I figured that this would be a good time to put a movie in so we can keep the bus quiet in case anyone wants to try to sleep." Speed answered.  
"I guess that is a good idea. It's getting a little bit late at that."  
"Listen, Trix. I know you usually carry aspirin or something with you so do you have any on you now?"  
"Yeah, I have some in my purse. Why? Are you okay?" Trixie asked, a little concerned.  
"I'm okay. It's just that I have a really bad headache. I usually get headaches like this when I don't get much sleep. Will you give me a couple of aspirin so that I can get rid of this thing?" Speed said.  
"Sure. Here you go. That should help you feel better." Trixie handed a couple of the aspirin to Speed. It seemed a little strange to him that the pills were blue instead of white but after thinking on this for a moment, Speed finally decided that he didn't care and he popped the pills into his mouth and swallowed them with a drink of water. Then he stood up and placed a movie into the VCR for the kids to watch.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At the same time, Spritle was sitting with his friend Grace and they were talking about the upcoming trip. It was a small secret that the two kept from each other that they both had a deep desire to be more than just friends.  
"So are we going to hang out together in the parks once we get to Disney World tomorrow morning?" Grace asked.  
"Yeah. That's what I was hoping to do. I think it'll be fun to hang out and ride the rides with you and Chim Chim." Spritle smiled as Chim Chim started chattering happily.  
"That's good. I think that this is going to be fun. I'm looking forward to getting to do all of the neat things that we are going to get to do. It's also good to get away from school for a week and not have any homework or tests or anything like that to worry about." Grace said as she started chanting the rhyme about no more pencils or books, causing both her and Spritle to begin laughing.  
"Hey, look. Speed put in a movie for us to watch. That's cool. I really like this one." Spritle said happily as he put an arm around Grace and they watched the movie together in silence.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At 11:00, a little over an hour into the movie that they were watching, Speed was beginning to feel very sleepy. He was resting in Trixie's arms with his head resting on her shoulder and he was so relaxed that it was getting hard for him to keep his eyes open. Trixie noticed this and looked at Speed with concern.  
"Are you okay, Speed?" Trixie whispered.  
"Yeah. I'm okay, Trixie. It's just that I think all of the sleepless nights I've been having lately are starting to catch up to me. Right now I'm so sleepy that I can barely keep my eyes open. But the thing is I have to stay awake for a little while longer because we have to separate any couples that are sitting together." Speed said sleepily.  
"Don't worry about that. Sparky, Lindsey and I can handle it. You really need to get some sleep. Here, why don't you rest your head on my lap?" Trixie said as Speed allowed her to ease him onto the pillow in her lap. "There. Now just close your eyes and get some rest."  
"Are you sure that you guys can handle everything? I don't mind helping if you need me."  
"Yes, I'm sure. Speed, remember that we are going to be spending the day at a theme park tomorrow. You're already so exhausted that you're on the verge of collapse and I know that you aren't going to be worth a flip tomorrow if you don't get some sleep." Trixie confirmed.  
"Okay. I guess you're right. Goodnight, Trixie. I love you." Speed said as he settled into Trixie's lap and closed his eyes. Within moments he had fallen into a very sound sleep.  
"I love you too, Speed." Trixie whispered as she bent to kiss Speed's head and placed a blanket over him. Then she turned her attention back to the end of the movie.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At the same time, Sparky and Lindsey were also relaxing and enjoying the movie that was on. Sparky was so wrapped up in the movie that he was startled when Lindsey spoke to him.  
"Hey. You seem to be off in another galaxy." Lindsey laughed.  
"Huh. Oh, sorry. I was just really wrapped up in this movie and plus I was thinking about some things." Sparky admitted.  
"Yeah. You seem to be doing a lot of that these past couple of days. Thinking, I mean."  
"Well, it's a good habit isn't it?"  
"It is only when you don't do it too much to the point where you lose sleep over your thoughts. Then it can be dangerous." Lindsey whispered as she put an arm around Sparky. Then she pulled back and looked at him, concerned.  
"Something the matter, hon?" Sparky asked.  
"It's just that you seem real tense. Are you sure you're okay?"  
"I'm fine. I think any tension I have is related to the things I've had on my mind recently. It'll go away in time."  
"I think you're probably right. I also think that you need to try to relax just a little bit." Lindsey said as she began to lightly massage Sparky's shoulders.  
"What are you doing?"  
"I'm just trying to relax you a little to where you won't be as tense."  
"It seems nice but don't do that right now, though." Sparky whispered as he took Lindsey's hands in his own.  
"Why not?"  
"Because we have an hour to stay up so we can make sure any couples are separated like they're supposed to be."  
"You don't need to worry about doing that. Trixie and I can handle it ourselves." Lindsey whispered quietly as she began to massage Sparky's shoulders again.  
"Well, if you keep this up much longer you're going to have to. I'm getting a little sleepy already and if you do keep up, you're going to put me out for the night. A good massage will put me right to sleep every time." Sparky said sleepily as he closed his eyes and felt his head beginning to nod.  
"The reason you're feeling sleepy is because you didn't sleep at all last night. You need to get some rest so you can have energy tomorrow when we're out in the parks and you're going to wish that you'd slept. So just let me help relax you and you'll be asleep before you know it."  
"I guess you're right. I can tell you one thing for sure. You sure know how to relax a guy. I think I am going to get some sleep. Goodnight, Lindsey. See you in the morning." Sparky muttered, closing his eyes again. As Lindsey continued to massage his shoulders, Sparky began to feel more and more relaxed until he finally drifted into a restful sleep.  
"Goodnight, sweetheart. A good night's rest will do well for you. Sleep well, love." Lindsey whispered as she eased Sparky's head into her lap. Then she turned her attention back to watch the end of the movie.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Trixie was sitting there with Speed sleeping in her lap and she was watching the ending of the film. When it was over she looked around the bus and noticed that all of the kids had fallen asleep and she was also relieved to see that there weren't many of them that had coupled up. Then she looked down at Speed sleeping peacefully in her lap and smiled.  
"I have got to be the luckiest woman in the world. Here I am going on the vacation of a lifetime with the man that I love more than anything. There is nothing more wonderful in the world than this. I'm glad Speed finally was able to get some rest after fighting insomnia for a week. He seems so peaceful while he sleeps. I love Speed so much and I would do anything for him. That's why I helped him get to sleep." Trixie thought to herself as she bent down and kissed Speed's head softly.  
"Okay. Now it's time to go and get these few couples separated. Hopefully it isn't going to take too long to get this whole thing sorted out." Trixie said as she walked over and got Lindsey's attention quietly once she realized that Sparky was sleeping as well. "Hey. Let's get this thing done so we can get some sleep too."  
"Good idea. Let's get down to it." Lindsey said as she carefully got up and went to help Trixie.  
A few minutes later, Trixie and Lindsey had managed to separate all of the couples except for Spritle and Grace. Trixie decided that she could handle this last one alone. She turned to Lindsey.  
"Hey. I can get this last one. Why don't you go on ahead and get some sleep. I'll join you in a minute." Trixie said.  
"Are you sure?" Lindsey asked.  
"I'm positive. Go ahead." Trixie confirmed as Lindsey went back and sat down next to where Sparky still slept, placed his head back into her lap, settled in and fell asleep.  
Trixie walked over to where Spritle was sleeping next to Grace and reached down to gently shake his shoulder. It took a moment but Spritle opened his eyes and blinked up at her.  
"What's the matter, Trixie?" Spritle asked, confused.  
"You're going to have to move until tomorrow morning, Spritle. I know you don't want to but if you stay sitting here then we'll both get into a lot of trouble." Trixie whispered.  
"Okay. I guess I don't have a choice." Spritle sighed reluctantly as he followed Trixie to a new seat a few rows back from where he had been.  
Once Trixie had Spritle settled, she went back to her seat and sat back down, being very careful not to disturb Speed who was still sleeping soundly, and got settled back in. She carefully lifted Speed's head back into her lap and then she leaned her head against the window and fell asleep within moments.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Two hours later, the buses pulled into a service station and stopped. Trixie woke up as the bus driver came back and approached her.  
"What's going on?" Trixie asked sleepily.  
"I'm terribly sorry to disturb you but we've stopped to refuel the buses and we need to get everyone off of the buses before we can do that."  
"Why do we have to get off? I don't understand."  
"It's a safety rule set by the government. All the major bus lines do this." The bus driver explained.  
"Okay. Give us a minute." Trixie said as she leaned out into the aisle to get Lindsey's attention. "Lindsey. Hey, wake up."  
"What? What's the deal, Trixie? What time is it?"  
"It's 2 in the morning and we have to get off of the buses so they can fuel them up so we need to wake all these kids up."  
"Okay. I really hate to have to do this but we're going to have to wake Speed and Sparky too. We have to get off anyway and having to wake so many kids up we could really use the help." Lindsey said.  
"Yeah. I guess you're right."  
So Lindsey carefully reached down to where Sparky was sleeping in her lap and gently shook his shoulder and gave him a kiss on the head.  
"Sparky. Hon, you need to wake up. We have to get off the bus for a few minutes and we need your help to wake all these kids." Lindsey whispered. Slowly enough, Sparky stirred and opened his eyes. He looked at Lindsey and smiled.  
"What's going on, hon?" Sparky asked sleepily.  
"Well, they have to refuel the buses and the law says that there can't be anyone on the buses when they do that. We have to wake all these kids and get them off the bus and need help."  
"Oh, okay. Let's get down to it." Sparky said as he stood up and stretched.  
At the same time, Trixie was trying to wake Speed, who was in a very sound sleep. She reached down and shook Speed's shoulder gently hoping that this would wake him but instead Speed just sighed in his sleep and shifted slightly. Trixie smiled a little at this and felt a little guilty for having to wake her fiancé when he was sleeping so peacefully but she knew that they had to get everyone off of the bus. So Trixie reached down to where Speed was sleeping and lightly tickled his side, causing him to smile in his sleep. Now that she had his attention, Trixie gently shook Speed again and this time he opened his eyes and smiled.  
"What's the matter, Trixie? What time is it?" Speed yawned.  
"It's only 2 in the morning, Speed. I hated to disturb you when you were sleeping so well but the buses need to be refueled and government safety laws say that they have to get everyone off of these buses before they can do that. We have to wake all these kids up and get them off of the bus." Trixie said as Speed grunted and stood up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Five minutes later, everyone was successfully off of the buses and standing, sitting, or laying in a parking lot waiting for the buses to be refueled so that they could all get back on and go back to sleep.  
"How long does it take to fill up three buses? This is crazy." Lindsey groaned in frustration from where she sat on the curb next to Sparky.  
"Well, what you have to remember is that these buses are big vehicles and they have much larger gas tanks therefore they take a little more time to fill up than your average car." Sparky explained looking at his watch. "Shouldn't be too much longer though."  
"Still, I don't understand why they had to disturb everyone just to refuel the buses. There doesn't seem to be any danger in that. It just seems foolish to me." Speed pointed out.  
"Speed's right. People don't get passengers out of their cars when they refuel. Why does a tour bus have to be any different? If it was in the afternoon or something I might be able to understand it but to wake people up in the middle of the night. It doesn't make any sense to me either." Trixie agreed.  
"Well, I guess we'll never know. I don't think we should worry about it though. We'll be getting back on the buses soon and then everyone can go back to sleep."  
As if on cue, just as Sparky said this, they heard the bus engines start up in the distance and a few moments later the three massive vehicles rolled quietly into view, much to the relief of the tired travelers standing in the parking lot.  
"It's about time."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Soon after they were back on the bus and had gotten settled back in. All of the kids were sleeping and, resting in Trixie's lap again, Speed was very close to that point himself. He was so tired from his sudden awakening that all he wanted to do was rest.  
"Are you okay, Speed?" Trixie asked quietly.  
"I'm fine, Trixie. Just tired." Speed murmured as he closed his eyes.  
"I understand. It's not easy on anyone being disturbed from a sound sleep in the middle of the night. Especially someone who's had as little sleep as you've had lately. I think." Trixie stopped short and smiled as she noticed that fatigue combined with the sudden waking had taken a toll on Speed and he had fallen back into a deep sleep. "Goodnight, Speed. Sleep well."  
By this time the buses had driven into a rain shower and the rain could be heard plinking softly off of the roof and windows of the bus. Sparky was listening to the soft, musical sound as he rested in Lindsey's arms.  
"You know, I heard something about rain once a few years ago." Sparky whispered.  
"What did you hear?"  
"Well, someone once told me that the rain is sometimes called nature's lullaby because of the musical sound it makes. Pretty interesting, huh." Sparky said as he settled down to rest his head back in Lindsey's lap.  
"Yeah."  
After a few minutes of listening to the rain, Sparky became enveloped in a web of drowsiness. He tried to fight it but no matter how hard he fought sleep pulled him irresistibly down into that web. Eventually Sparky's eyes began closing and his breathing became deep and even as he slipped into a peaceful slumber, lulled to sleep by the music of the rain.  
Lindsey snapped out of her current thoughts to notice that Sparky had nodded off in her lap. She smiled and ran a hand over his hair. "Sweet dreams, hon. I guess you were right. The rain really is nature's lullaby." Then she settled into a more comfortable position and joined the others in slumber.  
For the next several hours, all on the bus was still as all of the passengers were settled in peaceful slumber dreaming of the next day's adventure while the buses traveled on toward Orlando. 


	4. First Day of Fun

Chapter 4: First Day of Fun  
  
The next morning, Lindsey was the first one to awaken and sat there for a long moment staring out the window at the rising sun, lost deep in her own thoughts. She wondered why she was still haunted by something that was so long in the past. The incident that she was thinking about had occurred nearly three years before yet, whenever the memory came back to her, it hurt her just as much as it had the day it happened. For the longest time, Lindsey had built a wall up around herself and wouldn't let herself trust again for fear that she would be hurt again in much the same way. In all truth, when she had finally agreed to take the chance in starting a relationship with him, it had been Sparky who had taught her that it was okay to trust again and not everyone she trusted would end up hurting her. With this thought, Lindsey looked down on Sparky, still sleeping peacefully in her lap, and smiled as she gently ran a hand through his hair.  
"This is a horrible situation. I love Sparky so much and I can't even tell him about what's bothering me because I'm too afraid of what he'll think. He is so beautiful when he sleeps. He doesn't seem to have a care in the world even though I know he does. I know the reason he was so tense last night is because he's worried about me. I need to figure out a way to tell Sparky about what I'm struggling with because it isn't fair to him to have to bear a burden this great at my expense and not even know what burden I'm carrying. Who knows, maybe if I tell him what's going on with me, it may lift the burden off of both of us." Lindsey thought as she looked back out the window and became lost in her own thoughts again.  
  
* * * * *  
  
An hour later, Trixie woke up and blinked sleepily as she opened her eyes to the sun streaming in through the window. She then reached up and pulled the shade down over the window to dim the light so it wouldn't wake Speed after she looked at her watch and noticed that it was only 6:00. They weren't going to be stopping for breakfast until 8:00 so Trixie decided to let him sleep for a little while longer.  
"He seems to be sleeping pretty good. No point in waking him up before I have to. Especially when he looks so peaceful. After fighting insomnia for a week, Speed needs to sleep." Trixie thought as she bent down to give Speed a gentle kiss on the head. Just then Trixie noticed Lindsey staring blankly out the window and thought this a little strange. Seeing the turmoil in Lindsey's eyes, Trixie decided to try and find a time to ask her what the trouble was.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A short time later, as Lindsey continued to stare into space, she felt a movement in her lap and looked down as Sparky began to stir. She smiled down at him as he slowly opened his eyes as he awakened from his slumber.  
"Good morning." Lindsey said quietly.  
"Hey. What time is it?" Sparky asked sleepily.  
"It's 7:15. We'll be stopping for breakfast in 45 minutes. You look like you slept well."  
"Yeah. After we got back on the bus this morning, the sound of the rain lulled me to sleep and after that, that was it. I don't remember anything after that until I woke up a few minutes ago to that pretty face." Sparky said, causing Lindsey to smile. "Ah ha. There's that pretty smile that I love to see."  
"Well, I'm just glad that you were able to get a good night's sleep. You were up all night the night before we left so I know you had to have been exhausted. You slept pretty soundly last night."  
"I was exhausted. Especially after we made that pit stop at 2:00 this morning. After you helped put me to sleep last night I'm surprised you were able to wake me at all. It's not easy to be pulled from a deep sleep in the middle of the night. Then once we were back on here resting and I started listening to the rain it acted as a perfect lullaby. I had planned on staying awake to think for a while but the musical sound of the rain made me so sleepy, I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I tried to fight against the drowsiness I felt but it was no good, it was just too overpowering so eventually I couldn't stay awake any longer so I gave into it and once I did, I was out. It felt so good to get a nice, solid sleep and I felt very peaceful." Sparky said as he began to feel more awake. "Hey, what were you thinking earlier? When I first woke up you were staring out the window and you looked to be pretty deep in thought."  
"I was just thinking about things on my mind. You shouldn't worry about it though. This is a vacation and it's supposed to be a chance to relax and escape from everything." Lindsey said, changing the subject off of herself.  
"You're right. So did everything go well last night separating any couples?" Sparky asked casually.  
"Yeah. Trixie and I got that done rather quickly. It only took a few minutes."  
"Okay. I was wondering if you guys even did that because I never even knew you got up at all." Sparky smiled as Lindsey rolled her eyes at him playfully.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Grace opened her eyes to the morning and stretched as she blinked in the sunlight. Then she noticed Chim Chim curled up sleeping in the seat beside her and suddenly she started to panic because she didn't know where Spritle was. He had been sitting next to her when she had fallen asleep the night before and now he was gone. Grace sat up straight and looked around the bus and then she noticed Spritle one seat back across the aisle, sleeping comfortably. She smiled when she saw this and then she vaguely remembered Trixie coming over the night before and moving Spritle to another seat. As she watched her friend sleeping, Grace knew even more than she did before that she wanted him to be more than just a friend to her. Just then she imagined herself sitting next to Spritle, holding him in her arms while he dreamed. As she was lost in her daydream, she didn't even notice Spritle wake up and look straight at her.  
"Where were you?" Spritle asked, causing Grace to jump.  
"Huh? Oh, I was just daydreaming. Nothing important really. Did you have a good night?"  
"Yeah. These buses sure are comfortable. I just wish that I hadn't had to move. Rules really stink sometimes." Spritle said, making a silly face that made Grace laugh.  
"What time is it?"  
"7:45. The itinerary said we'll be stopping for breakfast at 8:00 so that's in fifteen minutes. That's a good thing because I'm really hungry."  
"Spritle, you're always hungry." Grace laughed as Spritle moved to sit back beside her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
At the same time, Trixie was looking out the window at the billboards that they were passing on the highway when she suddenly heard Sparky speaking to her.  
"Hey, Trixie. Don't you think it's time for you to wake Speed up so he doesn't miss breakfast?" Sparky said quietly.  
"Huh? What time is it?" Trixie asked.  
"It's 7:45. We're going to be stopping soon and everyone else is already awake."  
Trixie just nodded and smiled as she looked down at Speed, sleeping soundly in her lap. She really hated to have to wake him when he was finally getting to catch up on some lost sleep but Sparky did have a point that they were going to be stopping at any time. So Trixie reached down and shook Speed gently and bent to give him a soft kiss. Slowly, Speed began to stir and he opened his eyes and blinked up at Trixie.  
"Good morning, sweetheart."  
"Hi. What's going on, Trix?" Speed asked sleepily as he sat up and looked around.  
"It's almost time to stop for breakfast. I didn't want to wake you so I let you rest as long as I could. Did you sleep well?" Trixie smiled.  
"Yeah. I guess the lack of sleep finally caught up to me last night. About halfway through that movie was when it really hit me. I'm sorry you guys had to separate and move any couples last night by yourselves but there was really no way I could have. Last night I got so drowsy that I couldn't have stayed awake if you'd screamed in my ear."  
"Hey, don't worry about that, Speed. You weren't the only one to crash last night before we'd finished our duties. Lindsey decided to give me a massage to relax me and I ended up dozing off too. So the girls handled it themselves." Sparky cut in, hearing what Speed was talking about.  
"Besides, I'll bet this morning you're glad that you got such a good night's sleep."  
"Mmm hmm. I had the strangest dream though."  
"What was it about?" Trixie asked.  
"I dreamed that these buses stopped in the middle of the night for some reason and we all had to get off and stand around in some empty parking lot. It was really weird." Speed said as Trixie and Lindsey burst out laughing. "Hey. What the? What's so funny about that?"  
"Um. Speed. You didn't dream that. That actually happened." Sparky told him.  
"The buses stopped at about two o'clock this morning and because of some kooky government regulation we had to get everyone off of the bus. Then we were hanging around in an empty parking lot while we waited for the buses to get finished fueling so we could get back on." Lindsey explained.  
"I wonder why I thought it was a dream?"  
"Maybe it's because you were pulled out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night. I really hated to have to disturb you when you were sleeping so well. Actually you looked so peaceful that I almost said forget it but then I knew that wasn't an option. Then as soon as we were back on the bus we hadn't even started moving again before you had fallen sound asleep again. That's probably why it seemed to you that you were dreaming. I'm just glad that you were able to get a good, sound sleep last night."  
"Me too. I feel a lot better than I have been lately. I didn't realize what it was doing to me not being able to sleep."  
"I'm just glad that you seem to be well rested for the first time in over a week." Trixie said as she gave Speed a big hug.  
"Well, we need to decide where we want to eat because we've stopped." Sparky pointed out.  
"That sounds good to me because I'm starving." Lindsey said as they climbed off of the bus and stood in the Florida sunshine.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A few minutes later, the group had decided to go and eat at a breakfast buffet right across the street from where the buses had parked. Since it was so early in the morning and the restaurants had just opened for the day, everyone got in and seated rather quickly. After they had gotten settled at a table, Trixie and Lindsey decided to go to the restroom to freshen up so this left the guys at the table by themselves.  
"Can you believe we're actually here, away from everything that we normally deal with everyday?" Sparky asked.  
"Yeah, it does feel a little strange." Speed said distantly.  
"Are you okay, Speed? You seem a thousand miles away right now. What's wrong?"  
"I was thinking about last night and everything that happened and there's something that strikes me as more than a little strange. Something's just not right, Spark."  
"I don't get it. What do you mean, Speed?" Sparky asked, confused.  
"I mean that last night was going really great until after I put a movie in for the kids to watch so we could keep the noise level down. Before that I was fine but after a while I got so sleepy that I just couldn't hold my eyes open. I just don't understand why I felt that way so quickly. It just doesn't add up at all."  
"Well, let's brainstorm on this Speed and I'll bet between the two of us we can figure this thing out. Try to remember. What were you doing just before you put that video in?"  
"Let me see. Oh, yeah. I asked Trixie to give me some aspirin because I had a headache. Hey! Wait a minute! I think I just figured this whole thing out."  
"Huh? What do you mean? What does that have to do with anything?" Sparky tried to figure out what Speed had suddenly gotten so excited about.  
"I think I just found the missing piece of the puzzle, Sparky. It wasn't until after Trixie gave me those aspirin that I started getting drowsy. At the time I thought it was a little weird that the aspirin were blue instead of the usual white but my head was pounding so bad at the time that I didn't care. I think that whatever Trixie gave me is what put me out last night." Speed explained.  
"Well, how are you going to prove that, Speed? You don't have any proof that Trixie did anything of the sort."  
"Yet. What I'm going to do is wait until one point when the girls aren't around and look for myself and see what it is that she has. That way I can know if my theory proves correct."  
"I don't know about this, Speed. I mean, going through Trixie's purse and her personal things. How do you think she'll react to that?" Sparky pointed out nervously.  
"She doesn't have to know. It's not like I'm prying or anything. I'm just trying to prove a theory. Anyway, we'll talk about this later because there are Spritle and Grace. Looks like they may want to join us."  
"Hey, Speedy. Mind if we sit with you guys for breakfast?" Spritle asked with a bright smile, which Speed realized was odd for him first thing in the morning.  
"Of course not. Have a seat, guys." Speed smiled as his brother and Grace sat down at their large table.  
"So, are you two looking forward to getting to explore Disney World today and tomorrow?" Speed asked.  
"You bet. I can't decide what to do first." Spritle grinned.  
"Well, there's so much to do that I can understand how you could have that problem." Sparky pointed out, remembering a special on the parks that he had seen on television a few weeks before.  
"Hey. Looks like we picked up some company. Good morning, you two." Trixie smiled as she and Lindsey came back to the table and saw Spritle and Grace sitting there as well.  
"Hi, Trixie. I hope you don't mind us sitting here." Grace said kindly.  
"No, of course not. I hope you're not too mad at me for making you move last night, Spritle. I personally would have left you alone but if we broke the rules then we would have both gotten into hot water."  
"It's okay, Trixie. I know it's a rule. I was telling Grace this morning that there are times when rules really stink."  
"I understand how you feel. But rules do keep things in line." Trixie smiled as they all went and got their breakfast.  
Trixie and Lindsey were back to the table before any of the others so Trixie decided that this would be a good time to try to get her friend to open up about whatever was bothering her.  
"Hey, Lindsey. Do you mind if I ask you kind of a personal question?"  
"Yeah, I guess. What was it that you wanted to ask me?" Lindsey said.  
"Well, this morning when I first woke up I couldn't help but notice that you were staring out the window at nothing and that you looked a little upset. The only reason I didn't ask you then was that we were the only ones awake so I didn't want to wake anybody up. Is everything okay? You and Sparky aren't having an argument or anything are you?" Trixie asked, concerned.  
"No, it has nothing to do with Sparky at all. It's me. I've been haunted by something from my past for years. That's really all I can tell you about it right now. I wasn't able to trust anyone for a long time until I met Sparky and he taught me that it was okay to trust without getting hurt the same way I was before. The problem is that I'm afraid to tell him about what it is that I'm struggling with because I don't want him to turn away from me because of it. I can tell that it's weighing on him to see me like this and not know why but I don't know what else to do."  
"Hmm. That is a tough one. I can't tell you whether or not you should tell Sparky what's going on with you but there is one thing that I can tell you for sure. I know that Sparky would never turn away from you for anything. Not in a million years. I know how much Sparky loves you because he seems to love you as much as Speed loves me and I've known the guy long enough to know that he wouldn't turn his back on someone that he feels that strongly for. So take your time and when you feel you're ready, you can open up to him." Trixie said reassuringly.  
"I know that you're right but it doesn't make this thing any easier. I wish I could leave my relationship with Sparky in tact and turn back the clock and fix this thing that has been disturbing me so much." Lindsey said as she and Trixie dropped their conversation as the others came back to the table. Then they all ate their breakfast amid pleasant conversation.  
  
* * * * *  
  
An hour later, everyone had met back in the parking lot where the convoy was parked and had climbed back onto the buses. They made sure that everyone was present and accounted for before they pulled out to head to Disney World.  
On the bus, while they were taking the short remaining ride, the two couples were trying to plan their strategy for tackling the three parks where they could see everything that was worth seeing without completely exhausting themselves in the process.  
"Well, I remember reading on the internet that the best thing to do when you get through Main Street is to head left and go in a circle, hitting the main attractions first and then go on to the secondary ones. I think that may be the best strategy that we can take." Sparky shouted over the noise. There was so much excited roar from the kids on the bus that all conversation had to be held at a minimal shouting level.  
"That sounds like a pretty solid plan to me. We'll start from Main Street like Sparky said and then go from there." Lindsey said.  
"Here we go, guys. Target sited!" Speed said and the others laughed as the buses pulled into the Disney World parking lot.  
  
A/N: Hello fans. I'm sure that most of you think that I've dropped off the face of the planet or something like that. I've been extremely busy since I have been accepted into nursing school and I have been getting ready for that. I am going to try to get this story finished before I start classes on April 5 but I can make no guarantees on that. Just keep checking back and look for more chapters in the next week or so. Please bear with me as I try to finish this up. ;-) 


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